Rules of play

All USA Curling Club rules apply, with these additions or exceptions:
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1. Only 4 players may play in any game. Players may opt to add an alternate to the roster during sign ups if allowed by that league.  That alternate is considered to be sharing a league spot with another player, and does not need to pay a separate league fee, however they are required to have a curler profile in curling.io and be listed as an alternate. If an alternate is brought in mid game, they must play out the remainder of the game, and the original player may not return to the ice. 
2. Two roster players must be present and playing for games to count. In the event that only 1 roster player is available to play, the game will be a forfeit, but should still be played with available subs whenever possible.
3. No roster changes after the 3rd week of league, unless approved by league management.
4. All substitute players are required to pay applicable spare fees. Substitute players must be signed up on the spare roster for that league, and must check in with the league manager prior to the start of game play to sign in. An SCCC staff member will follow up if sub fees need to be collected.
5. Spares should play lead or second whenever possible. If there are 2 spares they must play lead/second, and if there are 3 spares they must play lead/second/vice.
6. Each team is responsible for locating their own substitute players via the sub/spare list on curling.io, or whatever other method they choose. League managers may assist in helping get spares, but league managers are not responsible for finding a spare for any team or team member.

Game Play, Set Up and Clean Up

1. The posted time on the league website is when first stones may be thrown.  Please arrive early to get ready. You are encouraged to do fist bump/broom taps (handshakes) and coin toss off the ice prior to game start time. 
2. Vice skips will toss a coin prior to the game. Winner of the coin toss chooses hammer or stone color.
3. All players must be ready to play at the time indicated on the league registration page. If at least 2 roster players are present, the game must begin. 
4. Each 15 minute interval a team is late (10 minutes for doubles), offending team will forfeit an end with a score of one as well as the hammer. If a team is more than 30 minutes late (20 for doubles), the game is forfeited.
   1. Example: If team A is ready to play at 6pm, but team B doesn’t show up until 6:15. The game will begin in End #2 with a score of Team A -1, Team B – 0 with team A receiving the hammer. 
5. Late players may enter the game midway through an end only as a sweeper, and may not throw rocks until the next full end.
6. If a team is playing with 3 players, the first two members throw 3 stones each and the Skip throws 2 stones. In the event of play with only 2 players, one player must throw the first two and the last two stones, the other player will throw stones three through six.
7. The five rock Free Guard Zone rule is in effect. Free guards may not be removed from play until the 6th stone of an end.  The free guard zone is defined as the area behind the hog line, in front of the tee line, but not touching the house at all.
8. No new ends may be started with less than 10 minutes remaining in that scheduled draw block of time. 
9. The vice skip from each team is responsible for reporting their scores to the league manager. League managers will record scores in curling.io when the draw is complete.
10. Each sheet is responsible for its own cleanup, including restoring rocks to the home end of the building, wiping down rock handles with wipes as needed, and covering the hacks with hack covers.

Equipment 

1. Curling specific shoes must be worn. This means any shoe that is used exclusively for curling, not worn outside of the curling facility. These must be clean, free of any debris, and provide adequate traction.
2. Grippers will be available for use at the facility, and curlers are encouraged to purchase new grippers each season, or whenever their gripper begins to break down. Grippers that shed or leave debris on the ice may not be used.
3. Brush heads should be clean and free of debris, in good repair. If any broom is judged to be damaging the ice surface, you may be asked to refrain from using it for the remainder of the game/season.
4. Any homemade sliders, stabilizers or other equipment must not scratch or damage the ice surface.
5. Helmets or appropriate head protection are required for kids 12 and under.  Children 13 and up are encouraged to wear head protection, but may go without only with a parent’s consent.

Tie Breakers & Playoffs

1. For league finals, if time allows, a full end shall be played to break a tied game.
2. For round robin games, a draw to the button will determine winner to break a tied game. Any player may throw the draw with sweepers. If neither team gets a scoring stone, it will repeat with another member throwing a draw.
3. For round robins- Wins will be assigned a point value of 1. Losses are worth 0. 
4.  To determine playoffs, rankings will be determined first by W-L record, then head to head record. In the event that this cannot be decided by these two ways, a draw to the button involving tied teams will take place prior to the end of the round robin.
   1. Example: At the end of a round robin,  Team A and B are both tied at 7-2.  First, we look at head to head match up; Team A beat Team B when they played each other in the round robin, so Team A will be ranked higher.
   2. Example 2: At the end of the round robin, three teams are tied for 2nd place at 6-3.  First, we look at head to head. Say Team A beat Team B, but Team B beat Team C, and Team C beat Team A, therefore head to head match up won’t determine ranking. A draw to the button involving for all three teams will be used.

For any questions concerning the rules, please consult your league manager. A league may choose to implement rule changes specific only to that league. These rule changes should be posted prominently in the facility on a designated bulletin board, and should be communicated via email to all registered players prior to the start of the league. Disputes may be resolved by the league managers, with SCCC designated staff, or Hollywood Curling Ice Committee members.

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